December: my first thought is Christmas and lights and hot cocoa and starting up the fireplace again. My second thought is: Did I get something for everyone on my Black Friday shopping list? Who did I forget? Or do I need to pull a “I Love Lucy” and have a present ready to go in my closet just in case there’s someone I forgot?
While October makes me giddy for holidays, November maked me pause and think about life a bit before the whirlwind of Black Friday and the December festivities get under weight. Oh, November went by in a flash and December is upon us.
Now that the end of The Nationalist has been posted, I am moving full steam ahead with another story which I am about 40,000 words into. Project X (because IDK what to call it yet) is a dive into the late 1960s culture and the Vietnam war. I think I said before that this is a love story, but if I didn’t, then let me say it now: this is a love story with fantasy elements set in the backdrop of the most documented American war in history. It is taking me longer than normal to write this book because I have to stop and research so much in between.
I picked up a new book that I am almost done with about a few women journalists and photographers who covered the war, giving me a woman’s perspective, outside of the military. You Don’t Belong Here has been an important part of my research because one of my main characters is a female reporter.
In addition to this, I am watching hours of video footage of the war and even that of the moratorium in D.C.. You know, the famous one that both Forrest Gump and Jenny were at? The movie would have you think that it was mostly a hippie anti-war movement, but watching actual footage changed my understanding because I saw regular people there: parents, children, and people from all walks of life and religious beliefs.
So what can you expect out of my newsletter in the near future? Hopefully soon a new story to read. But for now, I am just thankful for being alive, well, and happy. I hope you all have a great Christmas and a happy New Year.